EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 23/04: Hydro notifies Rusal of possible force majeure declaration; Access World delists LME warehouses in Vlissingen; US Ali billet upcharge hits all-time high

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Shanghai as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday April 23.

Copper prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange led the rest of the base metals higher during Asian morning trading on Monday, with the red metal benefitting from strong fundamental support.

Tin was the laggard, however, with its prices weakening slightly.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

LME snapshot at 03.11 am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
  Price ($ per tonne)  Change since yesterday’s close ($)
Copper 7,016.50 24.5
Aluminium 2,504.50 477.5
Lead 2,345 -20
Zinc 3,258 25.5
Tin 21,615 -110
Nickel 14,810 -20

SHFE snapshot at 10.12 am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
  Price (yuan per tonne)  Change since Friday’s close (yuan)
Copper  51,880 480
Aluminium 14,985 30
Zinc 24,545 150
Lead 18,395 70
Tin  148,390 -90
Nickel  105,000 740

Hydro has notified UC Rusal that it may be necessary to declare force majeure on certain contracts due to the United States imposing sanctions on the Russian aluminium producer, Hydro said last Friday.

Meanwhile, Glencore-owned Access World has delisted 12 of its 20 London Metal Exchange-registered warehouses in Vlissingen in The Netherlands amid outflows of aluminium stocks after sanctions were imposed on Rusal.

The 6063 aluminium extrusion billet upcharge hit an all-time high in the US this past week, coinciding with concerns among extruders regarding their ability to continue operating in the wake of sanctions against Russia.

Hydro has halved bauxite output at its Paragominas mine in Brazil due to a government-imposed production cut at the company’s Alunorte alumina refinery.

European spot prices for molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum have increased after a withdrawal in spot supplies of oxide prompted a bout of short-covering that is likely to persist in the near term, according to industry sources.

The mood at this year’s Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries convention and exposition was upbeat, though drastic shifts in trade policies combined with transportation challenges throughout the US market have left the industry carefully navigating uncharted territory.

What to read next
Fastmarkets will include EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) costs in its secondary aluminium billet premium, ddp Europe (MB-AL-0383) and its primary aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, in-whs dp Rotterdam (MB-AL-0002) assessments from January 1, 2026, when the definitive period of the EU’s CBAM is set to begin. The inclusion of CBAM costs with MB-AL-0383 and MB-AL-0002 will enable […]
Gain valuable insights into the copper market outlook 2026, including key trends and challenges facing mines and smelters next year.
Fastmarkets launches a price assessment for MB-AL-0426 aluminium scrap, old sheet (Taint/Tabor), shredded and sorted, delivered consumer Europe, % of LME, on Friday November 28.
Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The publication of the affected price was delayed for 1 hour and 43 minutes. The following assessment was published late: MB-ZN-0099 Zinc SHG min 99.995% ingot premium, dp fca Antwerp, $/tonne This price is a part of the Fastmarkets base metals package. For more information or to provide feedback on […]
Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The publication of the affected price was delayed for 1 hour and 43 minutes. The following price was affected: MB-AL-0004 Aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dp Rotterdam, $/tonne This price is a part of the Fastmarkets’ base metals package. For more information or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of […]
The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-AL-0343 Aluminium P1020A (MJP) spot premium, cif Japan, for Wednesday November 19 was delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The following price was affected:MB-AL-0343 Aluminium P1020A (MJP) spot premium, cif Japan This price is a part of the Fastmarkets base metals package. For more information or […]